Short answers, pulled from the story.
The earliest known reference to Amitabha Buddha appeared in 153 CE within an inscription in Gandhara. This artifact bears the Brahmi script reading Bu-ddha-sya A-mi-tā-bha-sya and signals that devotion to Immeasurable Light existed by the second century.
Huiyuan founded Donglin Temple at Mount Lu in 402 CE to create the first organized community dedicated to mindfulness of Amitabha. He invited literati to study Buddhism alongside monks, forming what became known as the White Lotus Society.
Tanluan argued that spiritual growth during his lifetime was too difficult to achieve through personal effort alone. He proposed that practitioners must rely on other power meaning the compassionate force of Amitabha Buddha rather than self-effort.
Honen established Jodo-shu in Japan during the twelfth century creating an independent school focused exclusively on reciting Amitabha's name. His followers formed societies dedicated solely to nianfo while rejecting auxiliary practices like visualization or scriptural study.
Yang Wenhui started publishing Shandao's writings at his Jinling Sutra Publishing House starting in 1837. This publication supported Master Yinguang's revitalization of Pure Land traditions in mainland China during the early twentieth century.